My MaxBrake controller shows the amperage draw for the whole system. Unfortunately, MaxBrake is no longer made and I don't know if other controllers have this feature. If you have an amp meter capable of more than ten amps, you could open your plug and put it in line for the brake circuit...
Check to see what the amperage draw is on each magnet. It should be 2.5 - 3 amps at full actuation, depending on brake size. Just because you have voltage, it does not mean there is enough amperage for the brakes to properly work (bad connections, insufficient wire size, poor grounds, etc.)...
My wife and I test drove the first Bronco Sport that came to the dealership. That was either late 2020 or early 2021. She loved it! Our intent was to replace her 2008 F-150 SuperCrew. We have another SuperCrew, plus my Dodge CTD, so buying a small car for her to run around in was okay with me...
My junction box is mounted under the pickup. It had a factory seven pin plug and I ran the factory wiring into the junction box and ran seven wire cable back up to the plug under the bumper, and a new one to the plug in the box. I can take a picture, if you’d like. We are shelling corn right...
You can get a junction box that Nick talks about from e-Trailer. I put them on two different pickups of mine so I could add a plug for a gooseneck in the bed. Weather tight, and a great addition.
So, the short answer to my question, asking if you had experience with a properly installed and maintained electric trailer brake system is no.
Also, we used Hendrickson biscuit suspension on trucks in the woods for years. Amazingly tough and dependable.
But, this has nothing to do with the...
This just tells me you have no knowledge of how to properly install, maintain, and use electric brake systems. I’ve pulled trailers with electric brakes all over the Rocky Mountains for over 50 years and never felt they were inadequate. I’ve also driven class 8 trucks for almost 50 years and...
My Lincoln POWER MIG is six years old. This label is posted next to the 120V receptacles on the back. Welders are not stoves and dryers. All done here.
I believe that was my intent, given the first picture. If it’s not wired correctly, the fan won’t work and the welder will overheat. Hence, that makes it relevant.
OP. I had to look that NEMA 14-50 plug up and it is a four wire, commonly used for electric ranges and dryers. Welders come with a three prong, and need this style. I could be wrong about how the Squarewave powers the fan, being an inverter, but my old tombstone has a 110 volt fan. My Lincoln...
My Lincoln 256 has a three prong plug. It has a 110 volt receptacle on the back to power grinders, etc. The third prong is the neutral. My old Lincoln 225 has a three prong plug, as does my Lincoln Square Wave 200, which is dual voltage. The fans are 110 volt. You need a neutral for 110 volt.
All true. My point was to address Eddie’s concern about loading his machines on a deck over trailer. Each machine has its own unique properties. In the oil patch, we loaded and unloaded backhoes often, sometimes several times a day. Confidence grows with experience.
I know you’re talking about a backhoe, but this is my Oliver, which compares in size, but not weight. The deck on the trailer is 102” and the rear tires on the tractor are set at 96”. As far as loading, it’s not bad at all - just get lined up square and use lowest gear. Same unloading - low...
If I didn’t already have:
Lincoln 225 stick
Lincoln 140 MIG
Lincoln 256 MIG
Lincoln Squarewave 200,
I’d give this a serious look. The first link is to Lincoln Electric and the second is an overview on YouTube.
POWER MIG® 211i MIG Welder
The red knob is connected to the valve, which is not present. That valve is actually the trailer air supply, which charges the reserve tank on the trailer. It is clearly marked “not for parking” and the trailer brakes will only stay applied if they are spring brakes.
When trucks are made, they are manufactured as a “truck” or as a “tractor” and yours appears to have been manufactured as a truck, not a tractor. Meaning, there is no provision for trailer brakes. The trolly handle gives you hand control of your truck’s brakes. When I worked in the oil patch, it...
There’s a difference between a family farm and a commercial farming business. Different rules and laws for each. Tank endorsement for non-hazardous is not required until total volume exceeds 1,000 gallons. I agree it should be secured, no matter the size.
In Missouri, no special license is required for farm operation as long as the truck is owned by the farm, hauling their grain, and operating within a 150 mile radius of home. I do possess a CDL, but have an exemption on my DOT physical because I have a farm address, which means I can drive for a...
I keep my 4440 in the machine shed. It’s in pristine shape for its age. I can’t count the number of times someone has said, “If you ever decide to sell it…”
Same with my 2000 Dodge CTD. Pristine shape, many offers “if I ever decide to sell it.”
Yes, the back of the seat folds up, just like our F-150 and my 2000 Dodge CTD. What I was referring to was the console with the shifter in it that is not movable. I prefer his setup.
Nice front seat! I’m personally not a fan of consoles with the shift lever in a pickup. Plus, you never know when you’ll need to seat six. But, that’s just me. My kids all love them.
It’s kind of hard to get good pictures, but these clamps were difficult to access. The pliers are offset and reversible so you can get the side you need in the right place and also has a little ratcheting mechanism to help hold the clamp open. Sometimes, it’s still a tussle, but I have been...
Nick,
When harvest starts, I’ll get some pictures for you. When the header is placed on the trailer, it puts almost all of the weight directly over the axles. There are sliding brackets that allow for some adjustment. Some weight does get transferred to the dolly, but no hitch weight is added...
When I bought my 256 about six years ago, I needed something bigger than my Lincoln 140 to use in the shop. I still have my Lincoln tombstone that I bought 50 years ago and use it for certain jobs, but wanted something that I could use on new material and not have as much cleanup as a stick...
The machines commercial manufacturers use are much more capable than the machines in most home workshops. I doubt you’ll find too many MIG machines rated more than 180-200 amps in home shops. I have a Lincoln PowerMig 256 that is 300 amp and capable of welding 1/2” in one pass, provided you use...
Post 23 addresses doing a root weld with 6010 and a cap with 7018. Any time using thicker stock, say 1/4”+, it’s important to bevel. 6010 will “punch in” for deep penetration and 7018 cap fills and gives a nice appearance. What amperage are you using? For 1/8” rod, 125 amps is a good starting...
My wife fell in love with the Bronco Sport and ordered one in January of 2021. It took until May to get it because of a couple of supply issues. She has almost 30,000 miles on it with no issues. Delivers over 30 MPG. I looked at one of the full-size Broncos, but she wanted the Sport. She’s five...
But there is not a clear line of sight in the direction the train came from. As I said, the pictures don’t give a true representation of the crossing. There is a pretty good climb coming up to the tracks. You don’t get a good look down the tracks until you were right at them. This is the main...
I’ll bet when the lawyers get done, the crossing will be fixed. My son said the next crossing after that is worse. He said they can run 70 MPH with a stack train through there. Amtrak can run 90 MPH.
I went over to the site of the Amtrak wreck and looked it over. Pictures don’t reflect the grade very well - it’s steeper than it looks. The road comes in at an angle and turns abruptly and has a steep approach. Not good for a loaded truck, as you climb all the way to the tracks and it would be...
Nick,
A lot of it depends on who is using it - private farmer or custom/for hire, and the state in which they operate. We retired to Missouri to my wife's family farm and I work part time for some farmers. They have two combines and a corn head and draper head for each. They farm a little over...
My son made the run from Galesburg to KC today. He said that crossing is elevated about twenty feet and visibly is pretty bad, both from the road and the rails.
This is about fifteen miles from our farm. Very sad event. That crossing was slated for upgrade, but it hadn’t happened, yet. My son is a BNSF engineer and runs KC to Galesburg. It’s the main line from KC to Chicago. One track is open.
Well, it doesn’t show it very well in the picture, but it is a very blind crossing and then it straightens out. There are a lot of trees just before the crossing, unless I have my wires crossed. But, from what my son told me, I think I know exactly where it is. And yes, that is the main line...
This is the only picture I have. It looks like the truck driver and two from the train died. Someone had posted a video of the crossing a couple of weeks ago, showing how hard it was to see trains and saying crossing arms were needed. That’s about all I know right now. Still not home and service...
Tragedy in Missouri. Amtrak train collision with gravel truck. Several fatalities and many hurt. All seven cars laid over. This is just a few miles from my farm. It’s the main line from KC to Chicago.
I’ve worn Yellowstone Elkskin gloves for over forty years. I think they are the best available. Many options to choose from - just use the pull down menu.
Home - Yellowstone Gloves
We’ve always “wormed” cattle, horses, dogs, cats, etc. Our daughter is a veterinarian and constantly chides me that the correct term is de-worming. Hmmm… thanks for pointing that out, but I don’t see me changing.
Not trying to come across wrong here, but the Challengers were 4-6-6-4 configurations. Union Pacific 3985 is an example.
Challenger No. 3985
Big Boys were 4-8-8-4 and originally slated to be known as Wasatch class, because of their intended route.
Both were built by ALCO.
Nick,
I wonder how he'd do in the woods with a 5&4. Kinda makes me want to go take a couple of trips, just for fun and old times... in the summer... on dry roads... kinda...
I remember on the other forum that guy shifting the old Detroit two stick using the Jake. I used to do that with a...
I’ve been using a cheater 2.0 lens for several years. I tried several different ones to arrive at that magnification. It’s just a part of being lucky enough to grow older. It makes a world of difference.
My son is a BNSF engineer. He told me they are putting two trains together in many less sparsely populated areas and then break them apart when they get to an urban area. He is not a fan. He says there are too many variables because you could have part of the train ascending a hill, part of it...
Most electric brake problems can be traced to improper wiring practices, mostly done at the factory. A properly wired trailer, combined with a quality brake controller and properly wired tow vehicle, will provide a happy towing experience. In 50+ years of towing trailers with electric brakes...
This is right at 21,000#. The pickup is equipped with an exhaust brake and the trailer has Dexter axles with electric brakes. My brake controller is a MaxBrake with a parking brake feature I use for loading and unloading. I’ve never had a runaway with a parked trailer because I block the wheels...
Getting back on track, here is an example of a pup with a tandem axle dolly/converter - much more stable in turns on rough terrain. Disclaimer - not my picture. I surfed this up on the net.
Just my observation. You push COE trucks and that’s what the European market wants. The American market prefers conventional trucks. The manufacturers will produce what the market wants.
Most fleet operators run aerodynamic “curb sniffers” because the bean counters have determined that they do save fuel. A few gallons a day on a single truck isn’t much, but multiply that by a few hundred trucks in a carrier’s fleet, and that’s huge.
Speed limits and aerodynamics play a large role, as well. Many interstates in the West have 80 MPH limits. That means traffic is usually exceeding that speed.
It often depends on where you are, what kind of trucks and trailers are popular. In the western states, belly dumps are very common. As you get closer to the West Coast, you see more side dumps. In the Midwest, you see lots of end dump trucks pulling trailers. But, you can see about anything...
Pretty simple - apply the trailer brake handle (johnny bar) and the brake lights come on - which begs the question: Have you ever driven an American truck on American roads? Or are you just speculating?:unsure:
Hmmm...
I never thought of doing it that way. I tend to just hop out with my flashlight and hammer and do a quick walk around, checking lights, tires, etc., when I am stopped. Maybe I'm making it too easy? ;)
You just need to be careful off road with a single axle dolly. When making a tight turn, if a rear tire hits a high spot, they’re pretty easy to turn over. A tandem axle dolly is more stable. But, if you’re careful, single axle dollies are fine. I’ve pulled both behind a belly dump.
This is an excellent book on the tie hack era:
Knights of the Broadax: The Story of the Wyoming Tie Hacks: Pinkerton, Joan Trego: 9781941052228: Amazon.com: Books
Yes, most of them were logged out and most of the mills are gone. I grew up near a river in Wyoming. Back before my time, tie hacks would spend most of the year harvesting trees in the mountains and hand hewing them into ties. When spring runoff came, they would float them down the river - known...
When I hauled logs in Wyoming, we could be 85’ in length. I don’t remember how long some of the logs were, but often had to be cut to not exceed length. The trailer has a clamp on the reach that allows it to be adjusted for length. So, it depends on the timber you are hauling, how long you...
The reach is what could be called the tongue. The frame on the truck extends back a few feet, or the truck might have a “stinger” extending out the back. This makes the trailer follow much like a bumper pull. The logs sit on the bunks of the truck and trailer. When you turn, go over bumps, etc...
Never seen it done like that. We would remove and stow wrapper and set the pin on the reach. Load goes up and you back up (only takes an inch or two) to let pin drop in compensator and drive away. Some trailers have a bill hook that latches instead of a pin. That load should not move until the...
When I hauled logs, we would weld a short piece of pipe on the reach and you could set the pin in that, back up and it would fall into place on the compensator pin. Then we would pull forward. After that the load was lowered.
I grew up in the Rocky Mountains and learned how to drive trucks in the mountains - log trucks and oilfield trucks since 1975. To make a good mountain driver, you need good education and good coaching. That guy did everything wrong, but the company obviously is lacking in their training. The DOT...
What about the company he worked for? They should never have sent him to the mountains without training. Mountain driving is a whole different thing than flatlander driving.
When the high wind warnings are posted for no empty or high profile vehicles, it's for real. Just south of Cheyenne, Wyoming. One northbound at the very beginning is going over, then the southbound one for the big show.
I’m not sure that tidbit really helps most of us. My trailer weighs 5500# empty and my 2000 Dodge CTD brings that to 13,000# for the empty combo. Add my 1555 Oliver and I am grossing 21,000#. My JD 4440 brings that to a little over 26,000#.
So, being that you hold European design in such high regard, it’s great that you live there. I’m sure we Americans can continue to limp along with our archaic machines, like we have for years and years. I guess I’m done here. 🙂
An old picture of a truck I drove, taken in 1978. The company bought two used 260 inch wheelbase cabovers with tandem steers in about 1980 and put self loaders on them. They didn’t work out and were gone in short order. IH and Peterbilt conventionals all the way.
Nice load. I guess each design has its place. Unlike highways in much of Europe, we generally have room to maneuver “three football fields” to get around. 😂
My retirement job is driving grain trucks during harvest. Conventionals are so much easier to get in and out of. Plus, those cabovers are...
It would have to be a different platform to sell in th US. I don’t think you’ll find much enthusiasm for a cabover, especially in the western part of the country. I haven’t driven one since the late 80s. Cabovers are about like hen’s teeth - pretty rare and for good reason. It’s so much easier...
3985 is an awesome machine to see! It's too bad UP has decided to pull it from the Steam Fleet, but it was going to be a very expensive and extensive rebuild. It will probably end up on display somewhere - some speculation is that it will go to the museum in California where 4014 used to be.
Lewis and Clark had at least one and probably more Girandoni air rifles. It shot a .46 caliber ball and the magazine held 22. I know this isn’t railroad, but they helped Westward Expansion and this video is worth a look. I saw one of the rifles on display in the Pentagon.
That must be a Canadian thing. No such problem in the United States. I've never had a problem with inspections.
Never used those tires, but my trailers don't have drive axles, so just follow my pickup.
My insurance company makes no such demands.
You can run whatever you want. My experience is that ST tires tend to have many more problems than LT tires, so that's why I run LTs on my trailers. And, as stated, that's all there was before somebody invented ST will pops.
Our local Ford dealer has no new pickups on the lot and only two used ones. Both are 2017 F-250 crew cab sb gassers. One is priced at $49,000 and the other is $47,000. Diesels would have added quite a bit to the price.
We just sold a 2008 F-150 SuperCrew with 165,000 miles. I parked it at the...
Before UP rebuilt 4014, their big locomotive was Challenger 3985, a 4-6-6-4. Big Boy 4014 is a 4-8-8-4. Here is a pretty impressive video of 3985 near Cheyenne, Wyoming. Unfortunately, 3985 is worn badly enough to need a total rebuild and has been retired.
The UP Steam Club is a great way to keep up with the Heritage Fleet. We saw 4014 leading 844 in Laramie, Wyoming in 2019, on their way to Ogden, Utah for the Transcontinental Railway ceremony near Promomtory Point.
Join the Union Pacific Steam Club!
This is how the landing gear works on our Timpte Super Hopper grain trailers. The handle works on the landing gear and the dump doors. I wonder if you could weld a nut on the end of the shaft to use a drill and fix your handle similar to this.
I know what the display on my MaxBrake controller tells me. I know what my multi-tester will show when checking individual brakes, and I know what Dexter Axle shows on page 21 of their troubleshooting guide...
It's a nice, sunny day, but I was hoping for better lighting in the barn.
I had a piece of 7" channel in my metal rack, so that's what I used. It would have been nice to have a wider piece for the winch mount, but I welded some tabs on and it worked out okay. I had a piece of 2" X 1/4" square...
As I was getting fuel today, this pulled up on the other side of the island.
Hmmmm... So we had a short conversation:
Me : Sir, did you know you are missing your dust caps?
Him: Yea, I have been meaning to get some new ones.
Me: Pretty hard on bearings to let dirt in.
Him: Those are pretty...
Here is a picture. Sorry about the poor quality - I keep it in a barn and it has been overcast the last few days. Anyway, it is a piece of 7 inch channel with a receiver welded to it. There is a ring welded on if I want to double head it with a snatcblock. The channel is bolted to the neck of...
I thought about mounting mine permanently on my gooseneck trailer but decided to go the receiver route. I keep it in my shop and it will fit in the locking chainbox on my trailer when not in use.
I built this a few years ago. I can put install a bale spear and use a top link for moving round bales, also. It's made from 4" X 1/4" square tubing. That is an Oliver 1555 53HP tractor and I've lifted some pretty heavy things with it. Full height is around 11 feet. I don't know why I can't...
Are you making this more complicated than it really is? (Not trying to be a smart aleck) I cut two pieces of 2"x2"x1/8" angle about 8" long with 45 degree angles on both ends. Then, squared them up to make a 90 degree and cut a piece of 2"x1/8" strap to fit. Finally, a piece of strap to stiffen...
Here it is when I got it hooked up. That was in late October. The shop has filled up considerably since this picture was taken. I went with the blue because it is similar to the color on our lift. Plus, my wife said she didn't want to see any more John Deere green... It is a very heavily built...
Depends on the state and how they enforce it. In Nebraska, all pickups pulling trailers have to stop at the scale - RVs exempt. I always pull in and get waved through. I've seen guys skip the scale and get pulled over. This is the sign approaching each direction at the scales in Nebraska City...
This just happened today on Highway 59 in Gillette Wyoming, where I-90 crosses. The boom on the trackhoe was not secured and hit the bridge. Initial damage estimate exceeds $1,000,000. If you click on the picture, it will expand. I'm not sure how to make it bigger.
This Cadillac belonged to a service station in Rawlins, Wyoming. They hauled it around some and I remember as a kid seeing it in the parade in Laramie in the 1960s. This is the best picture I could find and it's pretty small. I have no idea if it's still around.